A technical assistance program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Transportation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Appalachian Regional Commission, and Delta Regional Authority Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan – Gary, Indiana Community Story Gary is a Legacy City located in the most northwestern corner of the state of Indiana in Lake County. Approximately 54 square miles, the city is bordered by Lake Michigan to the north and is just 25 miles southeast of downtown Chicago. It is comprised of twelve neighborhoods, including Emerson on the Northside, which is the heart of downtown Gary. Source: City of Gary Founded in 1906 by the United States Steel Corporation, Gary’s economic fortunes rose quickly as industrial steel production increased throughout the first half of the 20th century, but in the last 40 years, the city has suffered the same economic distress that other upper Midwest rust belt communities have experienced. Industrial decline, private disinvestment, and demographic changes have negatively impacted the local economy. The 2010 American Community Survey lists the city’s population at 84,407, less than half its peak of almost 180,000 in the 1960’s. As of 2013, the Gary Department of Redevelopment estimated that one-third of all homes in the city are 1 Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan – Gary, Indiana unoccupied and/or abandoned.1 Key demographic and economic indicators of Gary are presented in Figure 1. GARY 2010 2014 Total Population 84,407 79,164 Percent Black or African American 82.7% 83.1% Percent Hispanic or Latino 4.2% 5.5% Percent Caucasian, not Hispanic 12.8% 12.3% Median Household Income $27,486 $27,458 With SNAP Benefits in the last 12 Months 30.2% 35.3% Unemployment Rate 10.1% 9.7% Figure 1. Demographic data. Source: 2014 American Community Survey (ACS). Gary’s population has continued to decline in the past few years. Median household income appears stagnant and while unemployment is down slightly, distribution of SNAP benefits has risen. As Gary has labored to stabilize its economy, the city has benefitted from significant federal assistance. The Obama Administration expanded its Strong Cities, Strong Communities designation to Gary in 2014, which assists in moving challenging urban revitalization strategies forward in targeted redevelopment communities, like Gary’s Northside. The partnership is based on "livability principles" that guide inter-agency collaboration and support the integration of: safe, reliable, and economical transportation; affordable, energy-efficient housing; and sustainable reuse of idle or underutilized land. This work is based on Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson’s vision for redevelopment and is designed to leverage the area’s assets and strong community interest. The Gary Northside Redevelopment Project addresses significant challenges, including: lack of funding; devastated, but recovering local government capacity; a long and complicated environmental history; and severe crime and poverty. The focus is on completing short-term projects to support long-term growth and goals in the community. As a result, the City Administration has received numerous grants including the Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant ($500,000); Hardest Hit Funds ($6.6 million) for residential demolition and greening vacant areas; Green Infrastructure grants ($1.2 million); Creating Livable Center Planning Grant targeting three GNRP neighborhoods; and Art-House Social Kitchen ($1.6 million). Several brownfield remediation and cleanup projects are underway in targeted redevelopment areas. 1 "Harper's Index". Harper's. Harper's Foundation. 327(1,962): 17. November 2013. Accessed September 18, 2016. 2 Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan – Gary, Indiana Progress continues, but an urgent problem that still remains is access to fresh healthy food for local residents. Due to limited supermarkets and sources of healthy foods, residents must travel by personal vehicle or public transit several miles outside Gary to purchase groceries. The Total Grocery Leakage of Gary is estimated at more than $42 million.2 There is no major chain grocer within the community and the limited food outlets are predominantly convenience stores and fast food chains. In response, grass roots efforts by local churches, schools, organizations, and residents have made Gary home to more than 15 community gardens and urban farms today. There is also a farmers market open one day a week at Miller Beach. In 2015, the City of Gary Department of Green Urbanism requested assistance through the Local Foods, Local Places program to develop an action plan for advancing its vision for a downtown food district and increased urban agriculture. For selected communities, the Local Foods, Local Places program provides technical assistance that is delivered and supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA). These agencies worked with the community through a workshop-centered process (See Figure 2). Implementing the action plan promises several benefits to Gary: ● More economic opportunities for local farmers and business. ● Better access to healthy, local food, especially among disadvantaged groups. ● A revitalized downtown that is the economic anchor of the community. Figure 2. Local Foods Local Places Technical Assistance Process Diagram 2 Reinvestment Fund Limited Supermarket Access Study (2014) 3 Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan – Gary, Indiana Technical Assistance Workshop and Stakeholder Engagement In advance of the workshop, a community steering committee and federal partners convened three times by conference call and webinar to discuss goals and to establish logistics. The local steering committee was led by Brenda Scott Henry and comprised of the following participants: ● Brenda Scott Henry, City of Gary – Department of Green Urbanism ● Rev. Marty Henderson, Peace Garden & Farms ● Tracy Lewis, Lake County Minority Health Coalition ● Sandra Mosley, Trinity United Church of Christ - Gary / Workdriven Strategies ● Mary Mulligan, City of Gary - Department of Green Urbanism ● Dr. Marlon Mitchell, Ivy Tech Community College ● Dr. Cheryl Pruitt, Gary Community School Corporation ● Janet Reed, Purdue Extension – Lake County ● Alma White, Stewart House Urban Farm & Gardens ● Rev. Curtis Whittaker, Progressive Community Church & F.A.I.T.H. CDC The main sessions of the Gary workshop were held over two days at Ivy Tech Community College on August 15th & 16th, 2016. Almost 60 people attended the public workshop sessions, with many participating both days. Details of workshop attendees are listed in Appendix A: Workshop Participants. Prior to the workshop, the technical advisory team, community steering committee, and federal partners participated in an informal lunch at Mama Pearl’s, an anchor restaurant in the Emerson Neighborhood of downtown Gary. Mama Pearl’s proprietors, Hope and Joni Mason, shared their story and mission to serve local residents home- style food. They were joined by Michele Larimer, Project Manager for ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen, which shares the building at 411 E. 5th Avenue with Mama Pearl’s. ArtHouse will provide access to a commercial training kitchen for local residents and emerging businesses, culinary business incubation (CBI) and operation space, a pop up café shaped by CBI participants, community dinners in the café, and gallery/exhibition space.3 3 http://arthousegary.com/about/ Accessed September 18, 2016. 4 Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan – Gary, Indiana Above: Local food leaders, Hope and Joni Mason, share the public art proposal for the building they share with ArtHouse: A Social Kitchen at 411 E 5th Avenue in downtown Gary. Photo credit: All photos by Holly Fowler, Northbound Ventures, except where noted. From there, the community steering committee led the technical assistance team and federal partners on a community tour to visit several food system initiatives underway throughout the city. These are identified in Figure 3. Figure 3. Local Foods, Local Places Pre-Workshop Community Tour 5 Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan – Gary, Indiana Representatives of F.A.I.T.H. CDC, Fruit Futures Initiative Gary, Stewart House Urban Farm and Community Gardens, Trinity United Church of Christ Community Garden, and Peace Gardens and Farm showed the diversity of production possible from traditional community gardens and hoop house growing, to urban orchard and aquaponics. Left: Hoop houses frame Progressive Community Church (PCC) at 656 Carolina Street. Right: The Fruit Futures Initiatives Gary team explains the city’s geographic relationship to the Michigan fruit belt and plans to pilot an urban orchard opposite the PCC. Left: Community garden plots and rain barrels at Stewart House Urban Farms & Gardens. The rain barrels are part of a program sponsored by Gary’s Department of Green Urbanism & Stormwater. Right: The repurposed shipping container stores materials and equipment. 6 Local Foods, Local Places Action Plan – Gary, Indiana Left: Pastor Marty Henderson explains the phased development planned at Peace Gardens and Farm. Right: Trinity UCC’s garden volunteers are passionate about growing food. Photo credits: Holly Fowler (L) and Chris Freda (R) After the tour, the tour group transitioned to Ivy Tech Community